Our pest control guy says that's what it is. I would love to hear whether you agree or not. Upon returning from vacation, we found quite a few dead by our bedroom window. I read and it seems eggs can come in with firewood, but being that it is summer, that introduction into our home doesn't seem very likely.
another pic showing bug underside
They were probably looking for a place to chill out of the heat.....
my house is pretty tight and no other bugs are coming in. can't be that other bugs don't want to chill out, our hellacious heat does not discriminate, lol.
I think that your pest control guy either is looking to make a quick buck, or never has taken any insect identification classes. This is a click beetle (Coleoptera: Elateridae) - see http://tinyurl.com/l7dhsj for some images. Although the larvae ('wireworms') of some species can be garden/agricultural pests, the adults do no damage, inside or out. Also, ambrosia beetles (two subfamilies of weevils - Coleoptera: Curculionidae) that construct tunnels in trees where they feed on fungus that they introduce into these tunnels. They are not structural pests, and so even if any were to enter your home, they would not infest it in any way. See http://tinyurl.com/m2fy6r for more detailed infomation.
suunto, it certainly looks more like a click beetle than ambrosia. When Bob was discussing this w/ me, he mentioned the "clicking" sound. Do both type of beetles (ambrosia and click) make that sound?
I'm trying to figure out how this might have found its way indoors. As I mentioned before, my house is well sealed, so the theory of larvae/eggs in firewood in summer, is pretty weak.
My husband has been cutting and hauling fallen branches. could one have found its way thru his clothing? I'm just trying to think of possibilities so we can correct. We invest on pest control b/c we live in a heavily wooded area and there's all kind of critters. So far we've been successful, so the click or ambrosia or whatever is an unusual event.
Do you have any ideas? could one have flown in and started a colony? When I first returned from vac. I had a bunch of dead ones laying around. Bob treated inside and out and I'm still seeing 1 or two dead ones. I get to call him back as many times as need at no extra charge, but I certainly want to be reasonable. He did explain they cause no damage, so more of an annoyance factor, but I pay for the service, including eliminating "annoyance" bugs.
thanks for your help.
hey nery, i get click beetles in the house sometimes. we're not too airtight i fear, but i'll find one in the bedroom once in a while and that's at the end of the house farthest from doors. i'm always curious how they found their way all the way down the hall without anyone seeing them.
Click beetles indoors are simply accidental intruders; how it got in is immaterial. tThey will not colonize indoors in any way, there is no cause for any alarm.
thanks suunto, I will put it out of my mind. I think I will post my pics in the bug files.
